My Favourite Place: Author Charles Cumming on his love for Tarbert
Where is it?
Tarbert, an isolated fishing village at the northern tip of the Mull of Kintyre, about three hours’ drive from Glasgow along a breath-taking road which takes you deep into Argyll.
Why do you go there?
About seven years ago an old friend inherited a beautiful Victorian house about five miles from Tarbert and decided to use the property as a venue for writing retreats. I’ve been going ever since; sometimes to work, sometimes simply to relax.
How often do you go?
The retreat tends to happen once a year, either in March or October. The weather can be unpredictable at both times, to say the least.
How did you discover it?
I first started going to Tarbert as a child in the 1980s. My father owned a small sailing boat which he would take through the Crinan Canal every summer en route to Loch Melfort, Oban and Tobermory.
Tarbert was usually our first stop. We would anchor offshore, stay overnight, then enter the canal at Lochgilphead the following morning.
What’s your favourite memory?
As a child of about nine or 10, I remember eating fish and chips and drinking 7Up on the harbour wall after a long day sailing from Largs. More recently, I finished writing a screenplay during one of the writing retreats.
It was later turned into Plane, an action movie starring Gerard Butler, so I’ve always been grateful for the peace and tranquillity of the area which allowed me to work without interruption for two highly productive weeks.
Who do you take?
Other writer friends often come to the retreats. I have also met first-time novelists and biographers at the house. In the summer before lockdown, I rented a holiday cottage outside Tarbert for two weeks and took my two children so that I could introduce them to the area.
What do you take?
If I’m writing, then a laptop, a few books for research purposes, a bottle of the fantastic local 15-year-old single malt, Glen Scotia, and a sturdy pair of walking boots.
I’m not the first writer to discover that a knotty plot problem can be miraculously solved by a brisk walk in the countryside, perhaps stopping for a coffee at Ca’Dora, a popular cafe in Tarbert where they also serve delicious food.
What do you leave behind?
If I’ve finished reading a book in someone else’s house, I’ll usually leave it on their bookshelves. At one writing retreat, the host left his house keys behind and had to break into his London home at 1am after flying down to Heathrow.
On another occasion, someone was out on the water taking a photo of the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry and accidentally dropped his phone into Loch Fyne. Presumably it’s still down there.
Sum it up in five words.
Tranquil. Old-fashioned. Picturesque. Secluded. Inspirational.
What other travel spot is on your wish list?
I’ve always wanted to travel around South America and plan to set one of the Lachlan Kite novels in Colombia. My wife and I were all set to go to Argentina and Brazil for our honeymoon in 2020 but had to cancel because of the first Covid lockdown. One of these days we’ll make it to Patagonia.
Kennedy 35 by Charles Cumming (Hemlock Press, £9.99), is out now in paperback
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